


Petrichor and Ink

by Rainbow_Foxes



Series: Omega Jason Todd Week 2020 [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Alfred Pennyworth, Alpha Dick Grayson, Alpha Roy Harper, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Jason Todd, Omega Jason Todd Week 2020, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23531971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbow_Foxes/pseuds/Rainbow_Foxes
Summary: Fills for Omega Jason Todd Week 2020 days 2-6.Day 2: First Heat. Jason's first heat hits a few weeks after moving into the Manor. He's upset, Bruce is concerned, and Alfred does what he does best.Day 3: Courting| Pack Bonding: Jason spends the summer in New York with Dick and the Titans. Things are tense, but at least Jason has his new friend Roy, even if Dick seems to not like it.
Relationships: Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd, Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Roy Harper & Jason Todd, Roy Harper/Jason Todd
Series: Omega Jason Todd Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1693429
Comments: 44
Kudos: 243
Collections: omega Jason Todd week 2020





	1. First Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: First Heat. Jason's first heat hits a few weeks after moving into the Manor. He's upset, Bruce is concerned, and Alfred does what he does best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important for how I do my a/b/o: Omega Males and Alpha Females are intersex. Betas go into what is called Care, which is essentially nesting and brooding behavior racked up to 11. Beta's can also go into a sympathy heat/rut if a non-family alpha/omega starts theirs, and they sympathy lactate to help feed pups since multiple births are common. If you have any questions about my a/b/o worldbuilding, feel free to ask.
> 
> re: tags. The implied child abuse/non con is from a personal headcanon of mine that Jason did sex work while he was homeless. It's not discussed in detail, but Jason panics on the assumption that Bruce will want to mate him now that he's presented, and Bruce infers what happened based upon what Jason says. If you need to know more specifics before reading, please feel free to message me for more details.

It’s the call of his chick in distress that wakes Bruce up. His Beta instincts have him out of bed and on his feet before he’s even aware of himself, just barely short of sprinting down the hallway from the master suite to where the newest resident of Wayne Manor resides.

Jason has only been with them for a few short weeks and in that time Bruce has become accustomed to waking up to the sound of his nightmares. He can typically soothe them with a glass of water and a few chapters of whatever book has caught the boy’s fancy while he snuggled in close to Bruce, but tonight is different. He can tell in the way Jason’s cries have only gotten louder since he woke, not tapering off like they normally do when waking from a nightmare. His scent is flooding the hall, a confusing mix of milky chick scent, sharp and sour fear and something sweet and spicy at the same time. Something is  _ wrong. _

He doesn’t bother knocking when arriving at Jason’s room and barrels in. His chick is curled up into a tight ball in the center of his bed, covers in such disarray that even the fitted sheet is scrunching away from the mattress as if afraid of it’s touch. Jason is drenched in sweat; he can smell the saltiness of it now that he’s closer, and he can make out the damp spots in the boy’s night shirt and pants.

Bruce moves to the side of the bed and reaches for Jason, cooing softly to try to soothe him. “Jaylad, what’s -”

Before he can finish speaking, Jason is scrambling back away from him, baring his tiny teeth in a way that only emphasizes the fear in his eyes and the tear tracks on his cheeks.

“No! No, no, no! Stay away from me! I don’t wanna do it an’ you can’t make me do it an’ I’m not ready! I can’t! I can’t an’ I won’t an’, an’, an’-” He breaks off into shaking sobs, curling further into himself than Bruce had thought possible.

“Alright Jaylad, I’ll stay right here. No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to, okay? Can you breathe with me Jay? It’ll make you feel better. In,” He takes a big breath in, “and out,” and a long exhale. He repeats the slow, rhythmic breathing as Jason copies him and keeps it going until his chick has moved from hysterical sobbing to hiccuped sniffles. He’s wondering where on Earth Alfred is, since normally the old Alpha would be right there with him, helping to soothe his grandson.

“Master Bruce, I’ve brought some water and other essentials for Master Jason,” Speak of the devil. The sound of Alfred’s voice by the door nearly sends Jason into another round of hysterics, but Bruce is quick to soothe him. 

“Shhh Jaylad, it’s okay. It’s Alfred, he won’t hurt you. I promise. He’s going to stay right where he is, okay? He’s going to stay over there by the door, and I’m going to stay right here, and you can stay right where you are until you’re ready.” 

Jason’s distress is driving Bruce’s instincts up the walls. He can feel from the tension in his body that he’s about to go into Care, but that isn’t what his chick needs right now, no matter how much he wants to give in. Scooping Jay up in a blanket and keeping him safe in his nest when the boy so clearly doesn’t want to be touched would only make the situation worse. He’s at a loss of what to do, and until Jason tells him what’s wrong he can’t fix it.

And G-d how he hates not being able to fix things.

“Jason, Sweetheart,” He begins, keeping his voice soft and even, trying to reach that comforting Beta tone his own father had used to ease his fears as a child, “Can you tell me what’s wrong? If I know what it is, I can help.” Jason shakes his head hard enough that Bruce thinks he might give himself whiplash.  
“No. No, if you know then things will be different an’ I won’t be able to be Robin like you said I could an’, an’, it’ll hurt an’ it _always hurts_ but this time it’ll be _different_ an’ i’m not ready. I’m not ready an’ you said I don’t have to do anything until I’m ready an’ I’m not. I’m _not._ ” He says it so quietly, barely above a whisper, and Bruce’s heart aches at the palatable fear in the boy’s voice. He gives a wordless coo in response, hoping that his tone and the increasing release of parental pheromones will communicate everything he doesn’t have the words for.

“Master Jason, you have my word that nothing will happen to you. However you want to handle this will be respected, but you must tell Master Bruce what is happening so he can help you.” Alfred’s voice had the barest tinge of Alpha in it, enough that you could feel his conviction in the air without it being oppressive. It made Jason uncurl enough to look at the man standing by the door. He meets his gaze dead on despite how the sickly fear scent still rolls off of him in waves. Bruce can’t help the small bit of pride that wells in his heart. His brave little chick.

“You promise?” His voice is shaky but louder than when he had spoken to Bruce.

“I give you my word, Master Jason. No harm will come to you in this house.” Jason swallows and nods before looking at Bruce. It seems that all the courage he had just moments before flees him; he can’t meet Bruce’s eye the way he did Alfred’s, focusing instead on the space between his eyebrows. He uncurls further, and Bruce can’t tell if it’s so he can run away or launch himself at him. Jason opens his mouth to speak, but can’t seem to get the words out.

“It’s okay Sweetheart, take your time.” He soothes, easily reaching that Beta tone now that his Care is even closer to the surface. Bruce rubs at the glands on his wrist, both to ease his own racing heart and to aid in the release of the warm and homey parental pheromones with the hope that it will make it easier for Jason to speak. It had worked on him when he was a child, so it was worth a shot now.

As tension leaves his body, Bruce takes a deep breath in, noticing for the first time since he awoke all the scents around him. At the base is  _ Home: _ smokey wood from centuries of nights by the hearth, soft cotton and lavender from countless loads of laundry, and gentle roses from the potpourri that Alfred favors. 

Then there is Alfred. His scent touches every corner of their home as a consequence of his need for a tidy living space and the underlying drive of Alphas to patrol and guard what is theirs. The familiar mint and cedar of the man he considers his second father has always made him feel safe. 

Next is Jason, his new little chick. Underneath the sickly sour scent of his fear is the milky scent of children. It’s mixed into his own scent of petrichor and ink, lightening the heavy scents to something more carefree and innocent. But underneath that is that spicy-sweet scent that Bruce had picked up on in the hall but had ignored in favor of attending to Jason. It’s new, but in a familiar way. Cinnamon and Honeysuckle? Where would that come from? It almost reminds him of -

Oh. 

_ Oh. _

Spicy and Sweet. Just like Harvey’s spiced cider scent when he was in heat in college. Everything clicks into place at once.

“Jason, Sweetheart, are you presenting?” He keeps the soothing Beta tone and works his wrist to release more  _ father-safe-concerned _ scent from his glands. Jason can’t speak, only nod and hug himself. Bruce thinks about what his chick had said.  _ Not ready. I don’t want to. It’ll  _ hurt _. It  _ always _ hurts. _ He can feel a different emotion well up inside him, the hot, burning one that calls itself friend to the grief that put him on his path. But he tamps it down quickly before it can taint his scent. His anger would frighten his boy, and he is not who should be afraid. Deep breath in, deep breath out. When he speaks, there is nothing but care in his voice.

“Jason, you are my child. My son. My chick. When I gave you that mark,” he gestured with a nod to the bite on the boy’s wrist, the symbol of Bruce taking him into the Wayne pack. Bruce can’t keep his fingers from finding the marks on his own wrist. One from each of his boys, though Dick’s was fading and would need to be refreshed, one from Alfred, and two spots left bare where his parents’ bites had long since faded. He swallows, and begins again “When I gave you that mark, I made you two promises: that I would love you no matter what, and that I would protect you no matter what. I will not hurt you and neither will Alfred. And we won’t let anyone else hurt you either. Do you understand?”

“So I don’t have to mate with you?” Jason’s voice is small but hopeful as he looks up at Bruce with teary blue-green eyes. He drops his hands from around his arms and moves a little closer to Bruce, possibly not entirely aware that he’s doing it.

“Never. Not with me, or Alfred, or anyone else. You can spend your whole life without mating with anyone if you want. Or you can find someone or someones to have a family with, or anything in between. It’s your choice. Always.” This seems to be too much for the boy as he launches himself into Bruce’s arms. Bruce catches him with ease and holds him close as he begins sobbing anew.

He gives fully into the Care that has been building the whole night, rocking and cooing to his chick as he lets it all out. He’s not sure how long they’re like that, a few minutes or hours, but he doesn’t really care. Bruce is just happy to be able to hold his son and comfort him. Eventually, Jason does raise his head from Bruce’s chest, cried out and ready to talk.

“I feel gross.” Is the first thing he says, and Bruce hums in agreement.

“I bet you do. I had a friend who was an Omega in college, and he always felt gross during his heats too. He’d spend a lot of time taking bubble baths. Helped him fall asleep,” He watches Jason worry his lip, a sign he knows means that he wants to ask something but won’t “Do you want me to run you one? We can toss in one of Dick’s bath bombs, I’m sure he won’t mind. And while you do that, Alfred and I can get your bed changed. Does that sound good?”

Jason nods, and after a second vocalizes his assent “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. An’ you're sure Dick won’t mind?”

“Positive. Now how about we go get one and get you clean, okay?” Jason nods again and Bruce moves to leave the room, Jason still secure in his arms. Alfred stops them at the door, bottle of water in hand.

“Master Jason, you should drink some water. Heats can be very dehydrating.” Jason takes the proffered water with a small smile. It’s not the large one he usually gives Alfred, but in Bruce’s book anything is better than to see his child recoiled in fear from the man who raised him. 

Jason opens the water and takes two big gulps before pulling away, a few droplets left to scatter at the corner of his mouth. “Thanks, Alfie.”

“You’re welcome, Master Jason. Now you and Master Bruce run along, I’ll strip the bed.”

Dick’s room is only across the hall, so it doesn’t take long for them to go into his en-suite and pick out a glittery nebula colored, lavender scented bath bomb. After he’s made his choice, Bruce scoops Jason back into his arms and carries him back across the hall, careful to shut the door to Dick’s room fully as he goes. He takes Jason back through his room and into his own en-suite before setting him down on the toilet seat so he can draw the water. Not too hot since his heat has already raised his temperature, but still warm enough to relax him. 

“This is going to take a minute. Do you want to go pick out clothes to change into?” Jason nods and stands, wobbling a bit on his feet and looking distinctly uncomfortable as he waddled into his room. He can hear Alfred and Jason quietly talking, and he lets himself drift as he waits for the tub to fill.

His son is an Omega. He’s going to have to get him on birth control, but not until his cycle is better established. And heat suppressants, if he wants them. He needs to restart on the scent blockers he was making him for patrol, but he wasn’t that far along on them anyways. And as Jay’s nose develops they’re going to have to go over how to keep his head on straight when he catches scent of certain things. He’s going to have to sit the boy down for the Talk sooner than he anticipated, but that can wait until after his heat is over. 

He should call Dick to let him know so he can keep Wally on a short leash, given the speedster’s tendency to get ahead of himself.. And Roy too, probably. He’s a nice boy, but he’s only 15, probably doesn’t have the best control. He hopes Dick answers the phone this time, he and Jason would get along well, he thinks. 

Should he dig out the old Omega jewelry that’s floating around the manor somewhere? Would Jason even like it? He’s still too young for what’s in fashion for Omegas right now, but certain jewelry pieces should be fine. If he wants it. Bruce’ll give it to him anyways, he decides, because Jason is a Wayne Pack Omega now, and it belongs to him.

He’s brought out of his thoughts by the water brushing his fingers. He shuts the spout off and goes out into the bedroom where Jason is sitting on the floor, dictating to Alfred which sheets he wants while he munches on some apple slices. 

“Jaylad, the water’s ready.” His chick nods and gets up off the floor, a little more steady now that he’s had more water and something to eat. He grabs his snack and his nearly empty water bottle and makes his way across the room, Alfred handing him his clean pajamas on his way past with a fond hair ruffle. Bruce steps out of the doorway to let Jason pass and watches as he sets things just the way he wants to them. He waits until Jason has dropped the bath bomb into the water before exiting and shutting the door, leaving it open just a hair.

“We’ll be right out here. If you need anything, just call.” Jason chirps an affirmative, and Bruce goes over to help Alfred turn the boy’s bed into a proper heat nest. He runs his hands over the sheets that Jason had picked, approving of the soft cotton texture and light green color. He should probably get the blanket from the library that Jason likes so much. And the pillows from the den. And one from Dick’s room, so Jason can get used to his scent? Certainly something of Alfred’s, and his own favorite blanket from his bed. And they’ll need snacks that can be eaten in the nest without making a mess, and water. There were plenty of books, but should he move one of the TVs into the room? Alfred didn’t normally allow them, but surely he’d make an exception for Jason’s first heat.

“Master Bruce,” Alfred’s voice pulls him from his planning, and by the look on his face, the old Alpha has a good idea of what he’s thinking about “Why don’t you fit the bed while I get some more nesting materials and provisions?” Bruce hums his agreement, grateful for his help. As he goes to leave, Bruce has a sudden thought.

“While you do that, could you put one of the good towels in the dryer? I think Jason would like a warm towel once he’s out of the bath.”

Alfred gives him a small smile that Bruce has come to know means that the man is feeling especially fond of him at that moment “A lovely idea, Master Bruce. I’ll see to it. Do you have any other requests?” Bruce says no, knowing that Alfred will get everything he could think to want and then some. The pack Alpha always seemed to know what they needed before they did.

With Alfred gone, he sets to making up the nest. He fits the sheets onto the mattress, making sure that the top sheet is perfectly snug at the foot of the bed to make it as comfortable as possible. Then comes the pillow cases, secured so that the pillows won’t flop out of them. The bedspread Jason had on the bed earlier was just as dirty as his sheets, but if Bruce remembers correctly... He walks over to the blanket chest under the window and opens it to find exactly what he’s looking for: a quilt his grandmother had made by hand as a gift for his mother when he was born. He takes it with gentle hands and brings it to his nose. His own scent is most prominent, lavender and sandalwood, but under that he can still catch his mother’s mandarin and clover. He shudders from the force of the tears that well in his eyes. A deep exhale, and he pushes them back down. This, he thinks, is something she would be happy for it to be used for.

He spreads it onto the bed with care, calloused hands smoothing over the loved and worn fabric. He lets his fingers trace the swirls of the stitching, following them across the pinks and greens of the various different patches and remembering how his mother used to do the same thing while he snuggled up to her to ease the intensity of her ruts. Suppressants were harder to come by then, so it was only the presence of her child telling her body she already had a pup that could stem the worst of her rut symptoms.

He doesn’t know how long he stays like that, but it’s enough for Alfred to return, a box full of nesting materials in hand, a tray of snacks balanced on top. Bruce tears himself away from the quilt to take the box from Alfred’s hands and set it beside the bed. He pulls things out the box to sort them out, Alfred leaving him to it. Bruce is notoriously picky about his nest while in Care and any interference is likely to set him into irritated reorganizing.

The various collected pillows go around the edges of the mattress. The scented ones, Dick’s and one that Alfred had elected to donate to the pile, go into the middle with the ones that Jason normally keeps on the bed. Blankets next, less favored ones over the pillow walls to hold them together, the one Jason likes from the library inside alongside Bruce’s own favorite. Then other scent items. One of Alfred’s silk ties, Dick’s second favorite hoodie that he left behind, and one of Bruce’s t-shirts. Jason would pick out what he wanted to put in when he got out of the bath.

Bruce gives a pleased purr. Now all that was needed was his chick. It seems that the timing is just right, as Jason comes out of the bathroom, skin flushed pink and speckled in glitter, dressed in his new pjs and toweling his hair off. Bruce coos at the sight and goes over to pick him up. Jason purrs at the contact and snuggles into Bruce’s chest, purring loudly.

“You have a good bath?” He asks, and Jason chirps softly in response. “That’s good. I made us a nest. Do you want to see it?” Another chirp and Bruce takes him to the bed. Jason eyes the nest, and gives a little whine of displeasure.

“You did it wrong, you big boob.” Bruce chuffs out a laugh. Of course his chick would be just as picky as he was.

“You want to tell me how to fix it? Or do you want to do it yourself?”

“Might as well do it myself. You’re hopeless.” Jason squirms out of his grip and Bruce lets him down into the nest. He frowns and looks around for a moment before moving things around. Pillows get shifted to leave a small gap for people to get in and out without tearing the whole thing down, which Bruce admits is a good idea. He sniffs at the quilt and tilts his head. “Did this belong to someone else before?”

Bruce swallows, “Yes. It was my mother’s, first.” He wants to say more,  _ I want you to know her scent  _ and  _ It makes me feel safe and I want you to feel that way too, _ but he can’t get the words out. Jason nods, considering, and then sets about carefully untucking the quilt from under the pillows. Bruce is worried that he wants it out of the nest, but no. Jason instead drapes it around himself and over his head, letting his face peak out.

“Are you getting in or not?”

Bruce purrs his affirmative and crawls into the nest, pulling the bundled up chick into his side and taking in the mixed scents of his family. Jason’s petrichor mixing with his mother’s clover and Alfred’s cedar and even Dick’s lily and cold air. He starts purring in earnest, closing his eyes and hugging Jason even closer.

“Master Bruce, if you don’t give the lad some space he might suffocate,” Bruce opens his eyes with a slight whine, giving Alfred a baleful look. Alfred is less than impressed, if his arched brow was anything to go off of. “Don’t give me that look. I’ve brought you a few more things. The provisions from earlier,” Alfred holds up the tray with the water bottles and snacks that Bruce had neglected in favor of setting up the nest, “And this.” From the pocket of his robe, Alfred pulls out a small embroidered handkerchief, one that Bruce recognizes immediately. He keens and reaches for it without realizing. Alfred hands it to him and Bruce immediately brings it to his nose. 

His father’s old paper and sage scent fills his senses as he takes a deep breath. These little glimpses of his parents have become rarer and rarer as time trudges on, and he treasures every one of them. Beside him, Jason whines curiously, and Bruce holds the handkerchief out for him to smell.

“This belonged to Thomas Wayne, my birth father and your other grandfather.” Bruce can hear Alfred’s breath catch at that. Does he really not know who he is to Bruce? He lets Jason hold the handkerchief and reaches for Alfred so he can scent him. Alfred meets him halfway, grasping his hand in both of his own. “Thank you, Alfred. For everything.”

“Of course, Master Bruce. You never have to thank me for tending to our family,” Alfred pulls back and straightens up, composing himself. “Now. You and Master Jason are settled. Please call me if you need anything.” He goes to leave, but Jason whines loudly.

“Stay, Alfie. Please?” Jason blinks up at him, turning the full force of his blue-green eyes against the older man. “Nests are for family, and you’re family, so you should stay.” Bruce jumps onto the train.

“Yes Alfred, you should stay. Family nests together.”

Alfred gives in, perhaps not wanting to fight about it much at all. He climbs into the nest and Jason uncurls the quilt from around himself so that it can lay over all three of them. The chick curls himself into Bruce’s side and is out quickly, tired from all the excitement. Alfred is on his other side of the boy, looking at him fondly. He reaches over and ruffles Bruce’s hair like he did when he was a boy and Bruce leans into the touch, suddenly feeling his own exhaustion.

“Go to sleep, Master Bruce. You need it. We’ll sort everything out in the morning.” Bruce nods, eyes already fluttering shut.

“Alright. G’night, Alfred. Love you.”

“I love you too, my boy. Sleep well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed. If you have any questions or feedback, both are welcome so long as we keep it civil. If you're confused about my use of "chick" for Jason, that's actually part of tomorrow's fill, so you'll have to check back in to see.
> 
> If you want to see anything else I do, you can find me at my tumblr, [@rainbowfoxes](https://rainbowfoxes.tumblr.com/)


	2. Courting| Pack Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: Courting| Pack Bonding: Jason spends the summer in New York with Dick and the Titans. Things are tense, but at least Jason has his new friend Roy, even if Dick seems to not like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this, and then realized I do not know nearly enough about the Titans to write them. So that's why they're kinda waved off. I also wrote this in two large chunks, and I hope the transition isn't too glaring. It feels like it to me, but that may just be because I've been staring at it too long.

Dick Grayson is driving him  _ nuts. _

Ever since Jason arrived at Titan’s Tower earlier in the summer, the Alpha has been playing him hot and cold. Distant and aloof, even aggressive at times, and others friendly and inviting. Invitations to spar that he accepts in a vain hope that the man was finally warming up to him that end with him bruised on the floor and Dick looking down at him with a look he can’t place.

His behavior is affecting how the others interact with him too. They’re Dick’s friends, his Pack away from the den so to speak, and they follow his lead. Most elect to just ignore him, some are hostile, but worst of all are those that pity him. Sad eyes from the team empaths that he won’t acknowledge. He is not some lonely, desperate pup for them to coo over. If they want to talk, they will have to approach him, not wait for him to come crawling to them.

The only person who bothers with him and who he in turn bothers with is Roy. The red headed Alpha is 3 years older than him, 17 to his 14, but he’s the only one at the Tower he would call a friend. Roy keeps him on his toes. His jokes are terrible, but Jason appreciates his optimism. He especially likes Roy’s nickname for him,  _ Jaybird _ , and has to suppress a purr every time he uses it. That name paired with Roy’s smile could get him to do anything, he thinks.

In a completely platonic way. He  _ definitely _ doesn’t have a crush. Sure, Roy is more clever than anyone else he’s ever met when it came to engineering, and he absolutely loves the set of electrified knuckle dusters he’d been gifted. And he appreciates his company in the early hours of the morning when he can’t sleep; the reassuring heat of Roy’s presence as he leans against his side and acts like he doesn’t notice the haunted look in the Alpha’s eyes as he traced marks on his forearms, the ones that Jason pretends to believe are from the recoil of a bowstring. And Jason can’t deny that Roy’s hickory and leather scent is absolutely delicious and steals all of his attention when he catches it. But their friendship has come easy like breathing, and he isn’t going to risk it.

So he doesn’t have a crush.

Roy has been trying to take him around the city to see the sights. Key word  _ trying _ , because Dick is not having it. All summer, He kept inviting himself along, keeping himself between Jason and Roy. Or worse, he would invite some of the others to go with, and something Jason had been looking forward to turns into an outing where he’s surrounded by people who he doesn’t like and don’t like him. 

And Dick’s weird behavior has only gotten worse as the summer went on. At first, he seemed not to care that Jason and Roy had hit it off, happy about it, even. But as the summer wore on, Dick kept nosing into their time together, separating them on missions, and even trying to keep them separated during their downtime. When he saw the electrified knuckle dusters, he had looked perturbed, and later solidly handed Roy his ass during training. The behavior had gotten more aggressive, leading up to today.

He and Roy are in the Alpha’s room, playing video games. Jason had sprawled himself across Roy on the floor earlier to trip him up during a match and just never bothered to move. He was solid and warm and his scent was too good to pass up the proximity. They had eventually migrated to a position that had them tangled up with each other, touching at points that drew all of Jason’s attention despite his attempts to focus on the game.

That’s how Dick finds them. Seconds after he opens the door, Jason can smell the anger rolling off of him. The sharp cold air factor of his scent overpowers the softer lily and burns his nose. It makes a whine build in his throat, but he suppresses it. Dick isn’t his Alpha, they haven’t even pack bonded. He has no power over him here. Roy, however, doesn’t bother to hide the growl in his voice.

“What the hell, Dick?” He sounds defensive and Jason can feel the tension in his body next to him. Reasonable, given that Dick had just intruded into his den.

“What’s going on here?” Dick sounds just as pissed, and Jason can predict what will happen if this is allowed to continue. He doesn’t want to be caught between two Alphas who have some sort of dispute.

Jason rolls away from Roy and stands, staring Dick right in the eye. An obvious, glaring challenge. “None of your damn business.” Dick growls, but Jason will not be cowed. Alphas may be the hunters, but Omegas are the defenders of the Pack. He and Roy may be just friends, but he’s  _ Jason’s _ friend, and he won’t stand for this bullshit. Dick moves forward, a warning grumbling low in his throat, but Jason stands his ground and snarls right back.

“No! You don’t get to come in here acting like either of us owe you shit. You’ve been pissy about Roy and me being friends all fucking summer, and I have had it. You aren’t my Alpha, we aren’t even Pack, so you can’t sit here and try to tell me what I can and can’t do. Roy is supposed to be your friend, and yet you’re treating him like a threat. It’s fucked and you know it.” 

Roy has gotten up off the floor, and is eyeing them both wearily, probably anticipating a need to separate them. Jason can understand why, his own petrichor scent factor has swelled to match Dick’s icy anger, making for a mixture that screams all the danger of an impending blizzard. He can hear the footsteps of others coming down the hall, drawn by the warning signs of an impending fight.

“Jason, you don’t understand, I -” Dick begins, but Jason refuses to let him sit there and try to spin this.

“Oh, I think I understand perfectly well! You’re a jealous prick who can’t get over the fact that B decided to accept me into the Pack. You can’t let me have a damn thing, can you? No, you have to do your best to make me miserable, get your team to do the same, and try to ruin the one friendship I have.” Jason takes a shuddering breath, but he will not allow himself to cry. Dick doesn’t have the right to see his tears.

“I have been trying to get you to at least tolerate me for  _ a year and a half _ . Because we’re supposed to be Pack. I let you jerk me around with the spars and the snide fucking remarks and whatever bullshit you have going on with Bruce, but I’m done. I’m done with it. If you don’t want me, then I’m not going to try anymore.” 

He moves around Dick to leave, but the man steps into his path. He looks hurt in that way people do when they realize they’ve been an ass, but Jason won’t let himself be guilted. He shoulders past the Alpha with a snarl and continues out. 

“Jason, wait-” He can feel the brush of fingers on his shoulder before they pull back.

“Give him some space.” Jason has never been more grateful for Roy. 

In the hallway, the rubberneckers give him a wide berth, his anger still palpable in the air. He makes it up to the roof unaccosted and walks over to the edge to look at the skyline, painted orange in the late afternoon light. He takes his cigarettes out of his pocket, taps one out of the pack, and lights it up. Inhale, exhale, and he watches the smoke dance in the air.

He gets through three cigarettes before he hears the door open and someone walk over to stand beside him. By scent, he can tell it’s Dick. He smells less angry now, the icy air more sedated and closer to something you’d get on a January morning. Contemplative, if he had to guess. Dick doesn’t say anything, and neither does he, still staring out at the city. He gets through another cigarette and lights a fifth before Dick speaks.

“Do you know why Bruce calls us his chicks?” Dick’s voice is tired, but in a fond way. Like he’s thinking about something that makes him sad and happy at the same time. Jason’s voice gets like that, when he talks about his mom. It makes him turn away from the horizon to actually look at the Alpha beside him. Dick isn’t looking at him, keeping his eyes steady on the city across the water. The fading light put his features in sharp relief, and Jason could tell by the set of his shoulders and the look in his eye that he wanted to say something he thought was important.

Jason takes another drag of his cigarette, knowing it will be his last and willing to let the rest burn to the filter. He can afford to do that, now. On the exhale, he says “No, but I suppose you’re going to tell me.” He keeps his eyes on Dick. He needs to see him to understand, he thinks.

“My birthday is in March. The first day of Spring, the year I was born. My mother called me her little Robin,” Jason sucks in a breath, but doesn’t interrupt. He hadn’t known that. Why was he only hearing this now, over a year after taking up the name? “And my dad went and said ‘well if he’s a robin, he’s a chick, not a pup.’ I think he meant it as a joke, but it stuck.” Dick takes a shaky breath, and Jason wants to reach out to him. He shouldn’t, though. For all they are raised by the same man, they haven’t solidified their own bonds. Instead he moves in closer. Not close enough to touch, but just on the fringes of what he’s figured the Alpha’s personal space to be. Dick notices, he knows he does, but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he continues.

“After Bruce took me in, it took time for us to get to a point where we could Bond. There was a lot of push and pull, back and forth. Figuring each other out, I suppose. One of the big things that happened, was the first time he called me Pup. I flinched,” Dick gives a light laugh, like he couldn’t believe a story he lived “and you know B, he wouldn’t let that go. And he prodded in that way he does when he’s worried, with the soft tone and the one thing he says that makes you spill everything. And I stared at him and said ‘I’m not a pup, I’m a bird.’ And he looked at me, you know the look by now, and asked ‘May I call you Chick, then?’ and that was that.”

Jason stares at Dick, looking for something he’ll only know when he finds it. He’s answered one of dozens of questions Jason had been too cautious to ask, one that he didn’t even know he should have asked, and created at least a dozen more to fill the vacant spots. Dick has a point to this, one Jason either missed or they haven’t gotten to yet. For all Dick’s flashiness, he isn’t frivolous, not even with his words. He wants to ask all the  _ whys _ in the world: Why now? Why this story? Why tell this to him, someone he doesn’t have a bond with? Why even let Jason keep something that was so precious to him? His mind works quicker than his tongue can formulate a sentence, yet it’s his mouth that beats him to the punch yet again.

“Why?” A short, loaded word, but at least he hasn’t put his foot in his mouth too far. He can recover himself, he thinks, but as he opens his mouth to correct himself or elaborate or do anything, really, Dick turns to look at him.

The sun is lower on the horizon now, casting more shadows that can stretch and sprawl across the rooftop. The way the light and shadows play against his form make Dick feel more Alpha than he first appears. His posture hasn’t changed much, but what is a seemingly carefree stance has the strength behind it revealed. The tension of his shoulders, normally so well hidden is given away by how the light dips into the folds of his shirt. He runs his hand through his hair, tilts his head in that way that says  _ I am not a threat _ , and gives the smallest, most honest smile Jason had seen from the man all summer.

“You may not be mine and I may not be yours, but we’re both Bruce’s. And that makes us something, doesn’t it? I’ve been avoiding Bruce, the Manor,  _ you _ , because I felt that something had been taken from me,”

“Dick, I’m sorry, if I had known -” He doesn’t know, actually, what he would have done if he had known. Robin is precious to him too, if for different reasons. He can’t honestly say he wouldn’t have taken it, but. Something. Something would’ve been different. He doesn’t get to finish his aborted sentence, and he tries not to be grateful.

“Something  _ was _ taken from me. But it wasn’t your fault. And now I think that it isn’t something that I should keep to myself. Being Robin saved me in so many ways, and I think it’s doing the same for you.” Dick’s voice sounds heavy, his lily and cold air scent is beckoning Jason to come comfort him. Dick has moved closer without him noticing, and if he reached out, he could take the Alpha’s hand, or even pull him into a hug. He wants to, wants that connection he’s been missing his entire time at the Tower, but he can’t. Not yet.

Dick is the one to bridge the gap. Another step closer, open arms and a rumbling hum of invitation and Jason is letting himself fall into the embrace. He purrs and snuggles into Dick’s chest, enjoying the contact and the scent of him. Dick rubs his hand through Jason’s hair and lets his wrist graze the skin at the nape of his neck. Jason nearly melts at his scruff being scented. It reminds him entirely too much of how Bruce calms him down when he’s stressed. He takes the opportunity to scent Dick as well, sharing his petrichor and ink. Dick likes it, if his own purr is anything to go off of.

Dick pulls back to look Jason in the eye, bluebird blue to liberty green. “Jason,” His tone is serious but fond, and Jason is almost certain he knows what he’s going to ask. But he wants to hear him say it. “Would you like to be my pack brother?” Even expecting it, Jason can’t keep his excitement at bay. He pulls his arm from around Dick and offers his wrist with a smile.

“Birds should flock together, right?” Dick laughs and gives him that bright, dazzling smile that he thought was only for the Titans. He offers his own wrist to Jason. He can smell Alfred’s mint and cedar and Bruce’s lavender and sandalwood, but there’s also Donna’s copper and salt water. He knows that Dick has more bites on his other arm, Wally and Roy for sure, maybe some of the others. He hopes, one day, that his arms get to be that marked up. Marks up to his elbows, to have so many people to love and love him back.

Jason bites into the offered wrist, maybe a bit too hard in his excitement, and feels Dick do the same. The sting of his wrist and the scent of Dick in his nose is enough to make him tear up. He pulls away from Dick’s wrist, not wanting to get tears into the bite. Dick pulls away too, and upon seeing his face pulls him in for another hug.

“Oh, Little Wing!” He cooed. He’s using a baby voice, but Jason will forgive him. Brothers - brothers! - are allowed to tease. “Alfred mentioned you were sensitive, I should’ve known he meant you were a cry baby.” He still has his pride, though.

He pulls back and gives Dick a look that’s all trouble, “If I’m Little Wing, does that make you Big Bird?” Dick laughs and reaches for him, but he dances back out of the way “Maybe I should get Roy, we can add more yellow to your uniform. Really make you fit the theme.” At this point Dick is chasing him, but in that half-hearted way of playfulness. A light jog, for the both of them, Dick letting him keep his lead.

“Oh, going to make a date of it? Bruce doesn’t allow suitors until you’re 16.”

Jason flushes red, “Roy isn’t a suitor!” He flushes harder as his voice cracks. Dick, of course, presses the advantage.

“Oh, then why has he been trying to court you all summer, hrmmm?” The trap is so obvious, and yet Jason still falls for it. He trips over nothing, his training allowing him to fall without hurting himself.

“Courting? He hasn’t been- Is that why you’ve been such an ass?” he isn’t proud of how the octave of his voice skyrockets as the sentence goes on, but there it goes.

Dick sniffs “Of course. As the oldest Alpha in the pack, it’s my job to keep the chick safe, especially from suitors.” 

“You’re not the oldest, Alfred is.” Dick waves his hand dismissively, a smirk that only means bad things for Jason on his lips.

“I’m the oldest  _ here _ , though. In fact, I’m going to go give Roy a good talking to right now. It doesn’t matter how fond you are of him, you’re still an itty bitty chickadee. I have to let him know that despite your great love for him, I cannot allow his suit to continue.” Dick does a back handspring with a little twist to point him in the right direction before taking off at a light run for the stairs, something that was just for fun and tells Jason that Dick probably won’t actually tell Roy about the crush he  _ totally doesn’t have _ , but he can’t take his chances. He scrambles to his feet and takes off after his brother.

“Get back here, Dickface!” Dick laughs at him, and Jason speeds up to catch him, his own grin wide on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed it! Lemme know what you think or if you have any questions in the comments.  
> Tomorrow is going to be a little smutty, but soft. This whole week is just about Jason fluff for me, so there's that to look forward to.
> 
> If you want to chat or see what else I'm up to, you can find me at my tumblr [@rainbowfoxes](https://rainbowfoxes.tumblr.com/)


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